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Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook > C > Flashcards

C Flashcards

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1
Q

cabal

A

n. small group of people united secretly to promote their interests

The reporters discovered a cabal working to overthrow the government.

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2
Q

cache

A

n. hiding place; something hidden

The rebel army had a cache of weapons in a cave.

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3
Q

cachet

A

n. superior status; prestige

Dr. Lee thinks that the cachet of a Lexus is worth the expense.

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4
Q

cacophony

A

n. jarring, unpleasant noise

There was a cacophony as each member of the rock band tuned his instrument at full volume.

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5
Q

cadence

A

n. balanced, rhythmic flow; the measure or beat of movement

Although she couldn’t understand the language, the visitor enjoyed listening to its cadence.

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6
Q

cadge

A

v. to beg or get by begging

Why is that rich guy always trying to cadge a meal?

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7
Q

cajole

A

v. to flatter, coax, persuade

The teacher cajoled the lazy student into completing his assignment.

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8
Q

calamitous

A

adj. disastrous, catastrophic

Scientists believe that the effect of pollution on the environment will be calamitous.

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9
Q

calculated

A

adj. deliberately planned

The advertisement was calculated to create a demand for the new product.

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10
Q

callous

A

adj. thick-skinned, insensitive

The callous boys laughed at the miserable beggar.

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11
Q

callow

A

adj. immature

Though still a callow youth, Steven thought he had the answer to just about every question.

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12
Q

calumny

A

n. false and malicious accusation, slander

The political candidate used calumny to tarnish his opponent’s reputation.

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13
Q

camaraderie

A

n. good will and rapport among friends

There’s a great camaraderie in Ms. Smith’s class.

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14
Q

canard

A

n. false, deliberately misleading rumor or story

The comedian likes to repeat the old canard that New Jersey is a cultural desert.

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15
Q

candid

A

adj. honest in expression

The musician asked the teacher for a candid evaluation of her performance.

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16
Q

candor

A

n. honesty of expression

The judge asked for candor from the witness.

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17
Q

canny

A

adj. intelligent

The canny pitcher constantly varies his pitches so batters don’t know what type of pitch they’ll get.

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18
Q

canon

A

n. an established principle; standard for judging; an authoritative list

The canons of artistic taste vary from era to era.

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19
Q

canonize

A

v. to declare a person a saint, raise to highest honors

Saints are canonized only after a thorough investigation of their lives.

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20
Q

cant

A

n. insincere talk; language of a particular group

After the editor removed the cant from the senator’s speech, little was left.

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21
Q

cantankerous

A

adj. irritable; ill-humored

The old man became cantankerous after becoming ill.

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22
Q

canvas

A

v. to examine thoroughly; conduct a poll

The new company canvassed the town to find out how much demand there was for its products.

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23
Q

capacious

A

adj. large, roomy

The couple moved into a capacious house after they had children.

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24
Q

capitulate

A

v. to surrender

Surrounded by enemy forces, the general capitulated to the surrender terms of the enemy commander.

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25
Q

capricious

A

adj. impulsive and unpredictable

This capricious weather makes it difficult to plan what to wear.

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26
Q

captious

A

adj. faultfinding; intended to entrap, as in argument

The lawyer objected to the prosecutor’s captious questioning of the witness.

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27
Q

carcinogen

A

n. a substance or agent that causes cancer

Scientists have identified thousands of carcinogens.

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28
Q

cardinal

A

adj. of foremost importance

The professor told her students, “For me, intellectual honesty is the cardinal virtue.”

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29
Q

cardiologist

A

n. doctor who treats diseases of the heart

The cardiologist detected an irregular heartbeat when he examined the patient.

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30
Q

caricature

A

n. exaggerated portrait

This book contains caricatures of leading politicians.

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31
Q

carnal

A

adj. of the flesh

Many modern films appeal to people’s carnal desired.

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32
Q

carping

A

v. constantly complaining or being naggingly critical

The student is tired of her English teacher carping about her grammar mistakes.

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33
Q

carte blanche

A

n. unrestricted power

The recording studio gave the rock band carte blanche to create the best record they could.

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34
Q

cartography

A

n. science of making maps

Advances in cartography have given us accurate maps.

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35
Q

Casanova

A

n. a man who is amorously attentive to women; a promiscuous man

Ted’s getting a reputation as a real Casanova.

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36
Q

caste

A

n. any of the hereditary social classes of India; social stratification

Caste has existed in India from the beginning of that society.

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37
Q

castigate

A

v. to punish, chastise, criticize

The bank manger castigated the teller for cashing a bad check.

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38
Q

casuistry

A

n. false or excessively subtle reasoning

The judge accused the lawyer of casuistry when she offered ten meanings of the world “is.”

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39
Q

cataclysm

A

n. a violent upheaval that causes great destruction and change

A collision of the Earth with another planet would cause a cataclysm.

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40
Q

catalyst

A

n. something causing change

The journalist’s well-researched articles were a catalyst for reform in government.

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41
Q

catastrophe

A

n. a great calamity

The government set up a department to deal with catastrophes such as large earthquakes.

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42
Q

categorical

A

adj. absolute, without exception

“My answer is categorical: no exception will be made.”

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43
Q

catharsis

A

n. purification, cleansing

To some people that movie is shallowly sentimental, while to others it produces a catharsis.

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44
Q

cathartic

A

adj. relating to purification or cleansing

Many people found the movie cathartic.

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45
Q

catholic

A

adj. universal, comprehensive

The United Nations seeks to be a catholic organization, embracing all the peoples of the world.

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46
Q

caucus

A

n. smaller group within an organization

Ten members of the political party formed a caucus to discuss policy changes.

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47
Q

causal

A

adj. involving a cause

The study established a causal relationship between smoking and heart disease.

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48
Q

causality

A

n. cause-and-effect relationship

It is often difficult to prove causality in scientific experiments.

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49
Q

causation

A

n. the causing of an effect; the relation of cause and effect

“Correlation does not imply causation” is a phrase used in science and statistics to emphasize that correlation between two variables does not automatically imply that one causes the other.

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50
Q

causative

A

adj. functioning as a cause

The scientist is trying to identify the causative agent in the process.

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51
Q

cause célèbre

A

n. any controversy that attracts great public attention

The Dreyfus affair was a cause célèbre in France in the late nineteenth century.

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52
Q

caustic

A

adj. sarcastically biting; burning

The teacher made a caustic comment about the student’s poor writing.

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53
Q

cavalier

A

adj. carefree, happy; showing offhand disregard; dismissive

His cavalier approach annoys me; I prefer a systematic and careful approach.

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54
Q

caveat

A

n. a warning; a qualification or explanation

The experienced businessman added several important caveats to the contract.

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55
Q

cavort

A

v. to frolic

The young couple cavorted on the beach all afternoon.

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56
Q

cede

A

v. to surrender possession of something

This court ruling means he will have to cede his house to the person who sued him.

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57
Q

celestial

A

adj. concerning the sky or heaven; sublime

Even as a child the astronomer loved to look at celestial objects.

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58
Q

celibate

A

adj. abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried

The monk took a vow to remain celibate for his entire life.

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59
Q

censorious

A

adj. severely critical

The investigating committee’s report was censorious, condemning government inaction on the environment.

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60
Q

censure

A

v. to blame; criticize

The Senate voted to censure one of its members for unethical conduct.

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61
Q

centrifugal

A

adj. moving away from a center

When a car is turning a corner, its occupants experience centrifugal force as a force pushing them in the opposite direction to which the car is turning.

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62
Q

centripetal

A

adj. moving or directed toward the center

Centripetal force pulls an object toward the center of a circular path.

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63
Q

cerebral

A

adj. intellectually sophisticated

Joe’s interests tend toward cerebral subjects such as literature and science.

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64
Q

certitude

A

n. assurance, certainty

According to some philosophers, certitude is never possible because our knowledge of the world is limited.

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65
Q

cessation

A

n. halt

The cessation of work at the construction site brought welcome relief from the noise.

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66
Q

chargrin

A

n. shame, embarrassment

To his chagrin, John realized he had forgotten to say thank you to the man that saved his liife.

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67
Q

chalice

A

n. cup

The winner of the golf tournament receives a silver chalice.

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68
Q

champion

A

v. to defend or support

The union champions the rights of workers.

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69
Q

charisma

A

n. personal magnetism or charm

The president’s charisma helps him to gain support for his policies.

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70
Q

charismatic

A

adj. relating to personal magnetism or charm

The charismatic leader was re-elected in a land-slide.

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71
Q

charlatan

A

n. fake

The licensing of medical practitioners by the state helps protect the public from charlatans.

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72
Q

chary

A

adj. wrathful, cautious

Children are generally taught to be chary of strangers.

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73
Q

chaste

A

adj. not having experienced sexual intercourse; morally pure in thought and conduct

Young people in the country are expected to remain chaste until marriage.

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74
Q

chastise

A

v. to punish, scold

The boss chastised the worker for her bad performance.

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75
Q

chauvinism

A

n. fanatical patriotism; prejudiced belief in the superiority of a certain group

The dictator made an appeal to chauvinism.

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76
Q

chauvinistic

A

adj. relating to fanatical patriotisms or prejudiced belief in the superiority of a group

Each of the three candidates tried to appear more chauvinistic than the other.

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77
Q

cherubic

A

adj. sweet, innocent, resembling an angel

The artist is famous for her paintings of cherubic infants.

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78
Q

chicanery

A

n. trickery, fraud

The political party used chicanery to ensure their candidate’s election.

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79
Q

chide

A

v. to scold

The teacher chided the student for being late to class.

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80
Q

chimera

A

n. something that is fantastic; fanciful mental illusion

Tim’s goal of becoming a movie star is achimera.

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81
Q

chimerical

A

adj. fantastic; highly imaginative

The fantasy writer populates her novel with chimerical creatures.

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82
Q

chivalry

A

n. the qualities idealized by knighthood such as bravery and gallantry toward women

Chivalry is still alive in practices such as men holding doors open for women.

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83
Q

choleric

A

adj. short-tempered

Ralph’s choleric disposition is always getting him into disputes.

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84
Q

chromatic

A

adj. relating to color

Astronomers call the haze of color surrounding bright objects in a telescope “chromatic aberration.”

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85
Q

chronic

A

adj. habitual, repetitive; constant

Earl takes medicine to relieve his chronic back pain.

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86
Q

chronicle

A

n. record of historical events

Historians work to chronicle historical events.

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87
Q

churlish

A

adj. rude; boorish

The hotel guest apologized for his churlish behavior.

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88
Q

cipher

A

n. secret code

The intelligence service broke the enemy’s cipher.

n. non-entity; worthless person or thing

Barely anyone notices the cipher who woks in our office.

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89
Q

circuitous

A

adj. roundabout

Sometimes I take a circuitous route home from work because of the great views.

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90
Q

circumlocution

A

n. indirect way of saying something

Tired of the speaker’s circumlocution, someone shouted, “Just tell us what you really think.”

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91
Q

circumscribe

A

v. to limit narrowly; restrict

The educator believes that a child’s reading should not be circumscribed.

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92
Q

circumscription

A

n. the act of limiting or confining

The participants agree to a circumscription of the scope of the debate.

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93
Q

circumspect

A

adj. cautions, wary

Hillary has adopted a circumspect approach after agreeing with every proposal without a protest.

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94
Q

circumvent

A

v. to avoid by clever maneuvering

Some people like to confront problems, whereas others prefer to circumvent them.

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95
Q

citadel

A

n. fortress

Rather than attack the citadel, the general decided to lay siege to it.

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96
Q

civil

A

adj. polite; relating to citizens

Jim is a gentleman known for his civil behavior.

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97
Q

civility

A

n. courtesy, politeness

Many people have complained about the lack of civility in political debate today.

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98
Q

clairvoyant

A

adj. able to predict the future, psychic

The economist’s predictions were so accurate that some people said she must be clairvoyant.

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99
Q

clamber

A

v. to climb by crawling

The children clambered into their bunk beds.

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100
Q

clamor (n.)

A

n. noisy outcry

The public clamor following the train crash resulted in an official investigation into the accident.

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101
Q

clamor (v.)

A

v. cry out noisily

The public clamored for an investigation into the cause of the accident.

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102
Q

clandestine

A

adj. secretive

The lovers arranged a clandestine meeting.

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103
Q

claustrophobia

A

n. fear of small confined places

The astronauts in the small spaceship complained of claustrophobia.

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104
Q

clemency

A

n. leniency

The prisoner appealed to the warden for clemency.

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105
Q

cliché

A

n. an overused expression or idea

“As American as apple pie” may be a cliché, but that doesn’t stop a lot of people from saying it.

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106
Q

clique

A

n. a small, exclusive group

Unable to gain admission to any of the cliques in school, Richard decided to start his own clique.

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107
Q

cloister

A

v. to confine, seclude

The writer cloistered herself in a cabin in the mountains for a week to finish her book.

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108
Q

coagulate

A

v. to thicken; congeal

Aspirin makes human blood coagulate less readily.

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109
Q

coalesce

A

v. to cause to become one

The class coalesced as the year went on.

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110
Q

coalition

A

n. an alliance

A coalition of nations combined their forces to defeat the aggressor.

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111
Q

coda

A

n. concluding part of literary of musical composition; something that summarizes or concludes

The novel’s coda suggests several ways to interpret the work.

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112
Q

codification

A

n. systematization

Codification of the state’s laws was completed in 1886.

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113
Q

codify

A

v. to systematize

The state’s laws were modified in 1824.

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114
Q

coercion

A

n. use of force

The bully didn’t get what he wanted by using threats, so he resorted to coercion.

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115
Q

coerce

A

v. to persuade someone to do something by using threats or force

The student was coerced to attend detention.

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116
Q

coercive

A

adj. characterized by force

The police used coercive measures to control the riot.

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117
Q

cogent

A

ad. convincing; logically compelling

His cogent argument convinced me that he was right.

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118
Q

cogitate

A

v. to think carefully; ponder

I have finished cogitating about her proposal, and I have reached a decision.

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119
Q

cognate (adj.)

A

adj. related, similar

The French word “amour” and the English word “amorous” are cognate.

120
Q

cognate (n.)

A

n. word related to one in another language

The English work “is” and the Latin word “est” are cognates.

121
Q

cognition

A

n. mental process by which knowledge is acquired

During cognition there is increased activity in certain parts of the brain.

122
Q

cognitive

A

adj. involving or relating to cognition

Brad took a course in cognitive psychology.

123
Q

cognizant

A

adj. informed; conscious; aware

I am cognizant of your problem, but you’ll have to solve it yourself.

124
Q

cognomen

A

n. a surname; a nickname

The two-hundred-pound football tackle is known by his cognomen “Little John.”

125
Q

coherent

A

adj. intelligible, understandable; sticking together

The essay is admirably logical and coherent.

126
Q

coherence

A

n. condition of being intelligible and understandable

Coherence is considered a major virtue in modern expository writing.

127
Q

cohesion

A

n. the act or process of sticking together

Crime tends to rise when there is poor social cohesion.

128
Q

cohesive

A

adj. well-integrated; unified

Let’s have a party to make our class more cohesive.

129
Q

collaborate

A

v. to work together

Before you collaborate with someone, it’s a good idea to find out whether that person is a good worker.

130
Q

collaborative

A

adj. relating to or characteristic of working together

The book is a collaborative effort.

131
Q

collage

A

n. artistic composition of materials pasted over a surface; an assemblage of diverse elements

The artist’s collage was made out of materials he had collected in China.

132
Q

collateral

A

adj. accompanying or concomitant

During war, collateral damage to civilian areas is sometimes difficult to avoid.

133
Q

colloquial

A

adj. typical of informal speech

Colloquial expressions are ordinarily acceptable in informal speech but not in formal speech.

134
Q

colloquy

A

n. dialogue, conversation

The university sponsored a colloquy on social problems.

135
Q

collude

A

v. to make a secret agreement for deceitful purposes

The two companies were accused of colluding to raise prices.

136
Q

collusion

A

n. secret agreement between two or more parties for a fraudulent or illegal purpose

Investigators suspect the mayor of collusion to commit fraud.

137
Q

colossal

A

adj. huge

The sun produces a colossal amount of heat.

138
Q

combustible

A

adj. easily burned

The campers searched for combustible material to build a fire.

139
Q

commendable

A

adj. praiseworthy

The student made a commendable effort to improve his performance.

140
Q

commensurate

A

adj. proportional

Punishment should be commensurate with the crime.

141
Q

commiseration

A

n. expression of pity

Immediately after the disasater rescue workers had little time for commiseration.

142
Q

commodious

A

adj. spacious, roomy

His promotion to vice-president meant that Stan would move to a commodious new office.

143
Q

commodity

A

n. something that can be turned to commercial advantage

Information is increasingly becoming a commodity.

144
Q

commune

A

v. to be very sensitive and receptive to something

The poet went for a walk in the mountains to commune with nature.

145
Q

communicable

A

adj. transmittable

The school was closed because of a severe outbreak of a communicable disease.

146
Q

compelling

A

adj. having a powerful effect; demanding attention

The evidence was so compelling that the judge ordered the prisoner to be released.

147
Q

compendium

A

n. a brief, comprehensive summary

The history professor gave3 the class a compendium of European history she had written.

148
Q

complacent

A

adj. self-satisfied

The coach was concerned that his team would become complacent after winning ten straight games.

149
Q

complaisant

A

adj. overly polite; willing to please; obliging

The novel is mainly about a woman and her complaisant husband.

150
Q

complement

A

n. something that completes or makes up a whole

The football team’s good running game is a complement to its excellent passing game.

151
Q

compliant

A

adj. yielding

The legislature was compliant, giving into all of the president’s demands.

152
Q

complicity

A

n. partnership in wrongdoing

The suspect denied complicity in the crime.

153
Q

composure

A

n. mental calmness

Good leaders are able to keep their composure during a crisis.

154
Q

comprehensive

A

adj. thorough, conclusive

The new president of the company ordered a comprehensive review of marketing strategies.

155
Q

compulsive

A

adj. obsessive

Adrian is a compulsive gambler.

156
Q

compunction

A

n. uneasiness caused by guilt

The judge had no compunction at sentencing the murderer to life imprisonment.

157
Q

concave

A

adj. curving inward

The lens is concave.

158
Q

concede

A

v. to yield, admit

Though far behind in the election tally, the candidate refused to concede.

159
Q

conception

A

n. something conceived in the mind

The artist tried to capture his conception in pen and ink.

160
Q

conceptualize

A

v. to envision, imagine

The chemistry teacher made a model of the compound to help her students conceptualize it.

161
Q

conciliatory

A

adj. overcoming distrust or hostility

Ben felt bad about starting the argument with Sue and talked to her in a conciliatory way.

162
Q

concise

A

adj. brief and compact

The new dictionary is a concise version of the full-length one.

163
Q

conclusive

A

adj. decisive; ending all controversy

The study provides conclusive evidence for the theory.

164
Q

concoct

A

v. to invent

The teacher waited to see that excuse Billy would concoct for not doing his assignment.

165
Q

concomitant

A

adj. existing concurrently

The increase in poverty led to a concomitant increase in crime.

166
Q

concord

A

n. harmony; agreement

After so much bitter dispute, the senators were happy to discuss an issue on which there was concord.

167
Q

concordance

A

n. agreement; concord

The nation signed a concordance agreeing to cultural exchanges with its neighbor.

168
Q

concur

A

v. to agree

A majority of the committee concurs with the proposal.

169
Q

condescend

A

v. to bestow courtesy with a superior air

The queen condescended to allow commoners to visit the palace.

170
Q

condone

A

v. to overlook voluntarily; forgive

The teacher condoned the student’s poor behavior because she knew that he had serious family problems.

171
Q

conduit

A

n. a pipe or channel for conveying fluids; conveyor of information

The embassy is a conduit for confidential information about the country.

172
Q

conflagration

A

n. big fire

After the oil refinery was bombed, there was a conflagration.

173
Q

confluence

A

n. meeting place, meeting of two streams

Our plan is to paddle our canoes to the confluence of this stream and Otter Creek.

174
Q

conformity

A

n. harmony; agreement

We were surprised to find conformity in views on the controversial issue.

175
Q

confound

A

v. to baffle, perplex; mix up

The weakest hitter on the team confounded everyone by going on a 30-game hitting streak.

176
Q

congenial

A

adj. similar in tastes and habits; friendly; suited to

The congenial host greeted us at the door.

177
Q

congenital

A

adj. existing at or before birth

No one trusts Jim because he has a reputation as a congenital liar.

178
Q

conglomerate

A

n. group of varied things

The painting uses a conglomerate of colors.

179
Q

conglomeration

A

n. an accumulation of diverse things

The firm grew into a conglomeration as it acquired different types of busineesses.

180
Q

congress

A

n. formal meeting

The student leaders met at a national congress.

181
Q

congruent

A

adj. corresponding

The two triangles are congruent.

182
Q

conjecture

A

n. speculation, prediction; conclusion reached without proof

There has been a lot of conjecture about the existence of ghosts, but little proof.

183
Q

conjugal

A

adj. pertaining to marriage agreement

Conjugal visits were denied to all inmates after the prison riots.

184
Q

conjunction

A

n. a simultaneous occurrence; a combination

An exact conjunction of Jupiter and Venus at 15 degrees Aquarius will occur on August 20.

185
Q

conjure

A

v. to evoke a spirit; bring to mind

The spiritualist claims to be able to conjure spirits.

186
Q

connivance

A

n. act of conspiring or scheming

The crime could only have been committed with the connivance of employees of the company.

187
Q

connoisseur

A

n. a person with refined taste

The art connoisseur was asked to judge the art contest.

188
Q

connotation

A

n. a meaning suggested by a word or thing

The word “lady” has acquired unfavorable connotations for many people.

189
Q

connote

A

v. to suggest or imply in addition to literal meaning

Good writers consider what words connote to readers.

190
Q

consanguinity

A

n. relationship by blood or by a common ancestor; close connection

The women is seeking a divorce on grounds of consanguinity.

191
Q

conscientious

A

adj. careful and thorough; governed by conscience

Airplane mechanics should be conscientious in doing their job because lives depend on them.

192
Q

conscript (n.)

A

n. a person compulsorily enrolled for service

Modern nations sometimes enroll men as conscripts in the army if there aren’t enough volunteers available.

193
Q

conscript (v.)

A

v. to enroll for service

Bug was conscripted and sent to fight overseas.

194
Q

consecrate

A

v. to declare sacred

The church was consecrated by the bishop.

195
Q

consensus

A

n. general agreement

There is a consensus among political scientists that the best system of government is democracy.

196
Q

conservative (adj.)

A

adj. favoring traditional values; tending to oppose change

The Republican Party tends to be more conservative on social issues than the Democratic Party.

197
Q

conservative (n.)

A

n. someone who favors traditional values; one who opposes change

The congressman is a conservative on economic matters but a liberal on social issues.

198
Q

consign

A

v. to entrust; commit irrevocable

My wife consigned my five-year-old sweatshirt to the garbage.

199
Q

consolidate

A

v. to combine; form into one system

The prime minister consolidated his power by appointing new ministers.

200
Q

consonance

A

n. something consistent with; in agreement with something else

Our actions should have consonance with our values.

201
Q

consonant

A

adj. consistent with, in agreement with

Ideally, our actions are consonant with our values.

202
Q

consortium

A

n. an association formed for joint venture

The three companies formed a consortium to build the new plane.

203
Q

conspicuous

A

adj. very noticeable, striking

Beth’s orange hair makes her conspicuous.

204
Q

constituency

A

n. body of voters of the residents of a district represented by an elected official

The senator’s constituency is very varied.

205
Q

constituent

A

n. part; citizen, voter

The senator visits her constituents regularly.

206
Q

constraint

A

n. something that forces or restrains

Teenagers often complain about the constraints placed on them.

207
Q

construe

A

v. to explain or interpret

The odd message could be construed in different ways.

208
Q

consummate (adj.)

A

adj. accomplished, complete

A consummate pianist, Jan has performed all over the world.

209
Q

consummate (v.)

A

v. to complete, fulfill

The merger of the two companies was consummated last month.

210
Q

contagion

A

n. a contagious disease

Health officials worked to stop the spread of the contagion.

211
Q

contemporary

A

adj. belonging to the same period of time; current, modern

The club holds discussions of contemporary affairs.

212
Q

contemptuous

A

adj. manifesting or feeling contempt; scornful

The novelist is contemptuous of the work of other writers.

213
Q

contend

A

v. to battle, compete; assert

Harry plans to contend for the middle weight boxing title.

214
Q

contention

A

n. assertion; controversy

There is some truth in your contention.

215
Q

contentious

A

adj. quarrelsome; causing quarrels

The Vietnam War was a contentious issue in the 1960s and early 1970s.

216
Q

context

A

n. part of a text that surrounds a particular word or passage; circumstances of an event

If you don’t know a word, try looking for clues to its meaning from its context.

217
Q

contiguous

A

adj. touching; neighboring; connecting without a break

The United States and Canada are contiguous countries.

218
Q

continence

A

n. self-control

Continence is a virtue that he aspires to.

219
Q

contingent

A

adj. dependent on conditions not yet established

The sale of the house is contingent on the prospective buyer selling her house.

220
Q

contract

A

v. to compress or shrink; affected by

The economy contracted two percent last year.

221
Q

contravene

A

v. to contradict, deny, act contrary to; violate

Anyone who contravenes school regulations will be punished.

222
Q

contrite

A

adj. very sorrowful for a wrong

The daughter looked so contrite her mother forgave her.

223
Q

contrivance

A

n., something invented or fabricated

The time machine is a contrivance that is popular in science fiction.

224
Q

contrived

A

adj. artificial; not spontaneous

The pot of this novel is rather contrived.

225
Q

controversial

A

adj. marked by controversy

The poll measures public opinion on controversial issues.

226
Q

contumacious

A

adj. disobedient; rebellious

The king has grown weary of his contumacious subjects.

227
Q

conundrum

A

n. riddle, puzzle with no solution

The conundrum has baffled scientists for centuries.

228
Q

convalesce

A

v. to return to health after illness; recuperate

Joan is convalescing after having major surgery.

229
Q

convene

A

v. to meet, come together

The student council president convened the first meeting of the year.

230
Q

convention

A

n. an accepted technique or device; practice widely observed in a group

The conventions of English spelling are difficult to master.

231
Q

conventional

A

adj. customary, commonplace

Bob holds conventional views on most issues.

232
Q

convex

A

adj. curved outward

The image of an object reflected by a convex mirror is upright and reduced in size.

233
Q

conviction

A

n. a fixed belief

Julie’s conviction is that more should be done to help the poor.

234
Q

conviviality

A

n. sociable state or condition

Everyone praised the conviviality of the hosts.

235
Q

convoke

A

v. to call together

The national association convoked a meeting of all its local chapters.

236
Q

convoluted

A

adj. twisted, complicated

The plot of this book is so convoluted I can no longer follow it.

237
Q

copious

A

adj. abundant, plentiful

The teacher provided copious notes for her students.

238
Q

coquette

A

n. woman who flirts

Shirley enjoys acting in plays in which she is a coquette.

239
Q

cordial

A

adj. warm and sincere

The two nations enjoy cordial relations.

240
Q

cornucopia

A

n. horn overflowing with fruit and grain; state of abundance

A modern university is a cornucopia of knowledge.

241
Q

corollary

A

n. a proposition that follows logically from one already proven; a natural consequence

The mathematician proved the corollary of the theorem.

242
Q

corporal

A

adj. relating to the body

Corporal punishment has been outlawed in many countries.

243
Q

corporeal

A

adj. concerned with the body; tangible, material

The scholar, concerned mainly with the life of the mind, had little interest in corporeal concerns.

244
Q

corpulence

A

n. condition of being excessively fat

Corpulence is becoming increasingly common in the United States.

245
Q

corpus

A

n. a large collection of writings on a specific subject or of a specific kind

The scholar searched the Shakespeare corpus for the reference.

246
Q

correlation

A

n. mutual relationship

The scientist proved a strong correlation between exercise and health.

247
Q

correlative

A

adj. corresponding; related

As knowledge progresses, let’s hope for a correlative increase in wisdom.

248
Q

corroborate

A

v. to support the correctness of; make more certain

The prosecutor asked her assistant to corroborate the testimony before indicting the suspect.

249
Q

corrugated

A

adj. winkled; ridged

The roofs of the houses are made of corrugated metal.

250
Q

cosmetic

A

adj. relating to beauty; affecting only the surface

There are only cosmetic differences between the two candidates.

251
Q

cosmology

A

n. a system of beliefs that seeks to describe or explain the origin and structure of the universe; the branch of science dealing with the large-scale structure, origins, and development of the universe

Cosmology has been greatly aided by the development of powerful telescopes.

252
Q

cosmopolitan

A

adj. sophisticated, free of local prejudices

The ambassador is the most cosmopolitan woman I know.

253
Q

cosmos

A

n. physical universe regarded as a totality

Astronomers believe that the laws of nature are the same throughout the cosmos.

254
Q

cosset

A

v. to pamper

The rich man cosseted his only child.

255
Q

coterie

A

n. small group of persons with a similar interest

The coterie of poets met regularly to read and discuss their poems.

256
Q

coterminous

A

adj. having common boundaries; contiguous; coextensive in scope or time

In a democracy the interests of the people should be coterminous with those of the state.

257
Q

countenance (n.)

A

n. facial expression

Her countenance showed her emotions clearly.

258
Q

countenance (v.)

A

v. to favor, support

The principal countenanced greater involvement of the student council in running of the school.

259
Q

countermand

A

v. to annul, cancel

The commander countermanded his earlier order.

260
Q

countervailing

A

adj. counteracting

The three branches of the U.S. federal government are designed to act as countervailing centers of power.

261
Q

coup

A

n. a brilliantly executed stratagem; coup d’état

Winning the contract to supply jet fighters to the air force was a coup for the company.

262
Q

coup de grâce

A

n. a finishing blow; a decisive stroke

The general delivered the coup de grâce, killing the enemy commander.

263
Q

coup d’état

A

n. the sudden overthrow of a government by a group of people in positions of authority

The coup d’état was led by a group of air force officers.

264
Q

coven

A

n. group of witches

A local legend says coven meets here every Halloween.

265
Q

covert

A

adj. hidden, secret

James Bond specializes in covert operations.

266
Q

covet

A

v. to desire something owned by another

Cathy covets the latest model cell phone that Mona just got.

267
Q

coy

A

adj. shy and flirtatious

Sheila finds that being coy attracts boys.

268
Q

cozen

A

v. to mislead by trick or fraud; deceive

The conman cozened Rick into investing in a fraudulent scheme.

269
Q

crass

A

adj. crude, unrefined

Susan had trouble forgiving Burt for his crass behavior at her graduation party.

270
Q

craven

A

adj. cowardly

The soldier’s craven act was condemned by his commanding officer.

271
Q

credence

A

n. acceptance of something as true

I can’t give any credence to your ridiculous claims.

272
Q

credible

A

adj. believable, plausible

Your story is credible, but I’ll need more evidence before I believe it without question.

273
Q

credo

A

n. statement of belief or principle; creed

The party issued its credo.

274
Q

credulity

A

n. belief on slight evidence; naiveté; gullibility

The advertising campaign was based largely on the public’s credulity.

275
Q

credulous

A

adj. gullible, trusting

The credulous customer accepted the claim that the skin cream would make her wrinkles disappear.

276
Q

creed

A

n. statement of belief or principle

The new church outlined its creed.

277
Q

creole

A

n. a mother tongue formed from the contact of two languages through an earlier pidgin stage; a person of mixed European and black descent; a white descendent of French settlers in some parts of the southern United States

Most English creoles were formed in English colonies, following the great expansion of British naval military power and the trade in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.

278
Q

crescendo

A

n. gradual increase in volume of sound

The cheering reached a crescendo.

279
Q

criteria

A

n. standards used in judging

The college’s criteria for assessing applicants are clear to everyone.

280
Q

critique

A

n. a critical commentary

The teacher asked her students to write a critique of the poem.

281
Q

cryptic

A

adj. puzzling

The reporters tried to figure out the president’s cryptic comment.

282
Q

crystallize

A

v. to give definite form to

Our plans are beginning to crystallize.

283
Q

cuisine

A

n. style of cooking

Mediterranean cuisine is becoming very popular.

284
Q

culinary

A

adj. related to cooking

Jean decided to enroll in culinary school.

285
Q

culmination

A

n. climax

The big Christmas party was the culmination of a two week celebration.

286
Q

culpable

A

adj. guilty

The teacher questioned the two boys to see which of them was culpable of the offense.

287
Q

cult

A

n. a religious sect considered by many to be extremist or false

John surprised his friends when he joined a cult.

288
Q

cupidity

A

n. greed

The investor had already made five million dollars, but cupidity made him want more.

289
Q

curator

A

n. caretaker of an exhibition

The curator is planning for an exhibition of Native American art.

290
Q

curmudgeon

A

n. cranky person

The old curmudgeon’s favorite pastime is writing letters to the newspaper complaining about young people.

291
Q

cursory

A

adj. done with little attention to detail

Mechanics only had time for a cursory inspection of the aircraft.

292
Q

curt

A

adj. abrupt

John answered his boss’s question with a curt “no” and walked out of the door.

293
Q

curtail

A

v. to cur short

The baseball game was curtailed after five extra innings due to darkness.

294
Q

cynical

A

adj. skeptical or distrustful of human motives

Luke refused to become cynical, even after years of having his honesty taken advantage of.

295
Q

cynosure

A

n. object of common interest; guide

The builders turned that eyesore of a dilapidated building into a cynosure.

Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook (26 decks)

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